Improvement in shingling-hatchets



H. K. W. PERRY. SHI-NGLING-HATUHET.

No.169,836. Patented Nov. 9, 1875.

N.PETiRS, J 'HOTMLITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D C UNITED v Sr'rns PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY K. W. PERRY, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR OF ONE- HALF HIS RIGHT TO MARTIN L. TUPPER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHlNGL|NG-HATCHETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 169,836, dated November 9, 1875; application filed February 27, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. W. PERRY, of Braintree, in thecounty of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Im- I provement in Shingling-Hatchets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The common method of shingling a roof is, after laying the first two rows, to lay the rest by means of a line or straightedge for each row. Much time is wasted by this method, as is well known by those skilled in this art.

My invention consists of a hatchet provided with a gage running in a slot, by the side of which is a scale. By placing the gage against the butt of a shingle in the first row, and laying the butt of the shingle to be placed next above it against the head or striking portion of the hatchet, the position or place for each shingle is accurately determined without any necessity for lining. The operation is very quickly performed, and much time is saved.

The nature of the invention in detail is fully described below.

In the accompanying illustration, Figure 1 is a side View of a hatchet embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a section through the line 00.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the head or striking portion and a the blade, of the hatchet. a is the edge, beveled or made chisel-shaped, for convenience in turning or cutting the edges of the shingles. It is much easier to shave or shingle correctly by means of this edge a than by means of the ordinary hatchet-edge.

b is a slot out in the blade a, parallel to the vertical edge a of the said blade. 0 is a scale, made in quarter-inches, eighth-inches, or otherwise, as deemed best. at is a gage, extending some distance upon both sides the blade a, and attached thereto by means of the screw 0, which passes through the slot 1). (See Fig. 3.) By means of this screw 6 the gage d may be clamped tightly upon the blade of the hatchet at any desired point upon the scale 0.

One of the arms of the gage d may be made thinner than is shown in the drawing, so that they may be more readily pressed together and against the blade a.

It is best that one of the arms of the gage 61 should be tolerably thick, so that it may not slip over the butt of the shingle.

In practical operation my hatchet works as follows: The edge a is laid upon a shingle already attached to the roof, the gage d resting against or under the butt of said shingle. The butt of the shingle which is to be laid in the next row above is thenplaced against the striking portion a of-the hatchet. Its position having been thus determined, it is ready to be nailed to the roof.

I The operation occupies but an instant, and does away with all necessity for lining.

It may be proper to state that while the hatchet and gage are being used, as above described, although the edge a rests upon a shingle, the hatchet does not necessarily assume a position perpendicular to the said shingle. On the contrary, the most convenient method is to lay the hatchet nearly or quite flat upon the shingle. In either case, however, the gage would do its work, as it is thick for the length of one arm, and at the edge a also.

Of course, the distance between the shingles is first determined by the position of the gage (1 upon the scale 0.

I do not confine myself to applying the gage d to a hatchet provided with a slot, b, as it can be equally well attached to an ordinary hatchet by cutting off a portion of the screw 0, so as to make a set-screw, which shall hold the gage in place.

By reversing the gage, the opposite may be used similarly in clapboarding.

Having thus fully described my invention,

and placing it upon .what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The shin gling-hatchet provided with a gage, carried by and adjustable upon its blade, substantially as shown and set forth.

H. W. WILLIAMS, E. H. OBER.

side of the blade at, the hatchet 

